31 March 2019
Two-Minute Features | 07 April 2019

Avoiding Conflicting, Double-Minded Thoughts (TMF:1100)

Friday, April 05, 2019
Peace to Live By: Avoiding Conflicting, Double-Minded Thoughts (TMF:1100) - Daniel Litton
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       Remember, in the New Testament, James taught us, the “double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8, ESV). When we have constantly conflicting thoughts in our heads, that makes us uneasy and causes us to become double-minded. We think one way about something, and then a few hours later think a totally different way about the same thing. One key to solving this problem is to consider what is wise in the given circumstance, and if we cannot figure that out, we should ask God for wisdom. Remember, again, James said, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5, ESV). That’s encouraging for us because we know if we are not sure what is wise in a given situation that God will show us what is wise if we ask him with a pure heart. For James said, continuing, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8, ESV).

It's the Little Foxes that Spoil Our Minds (TMF:1099)

Thursday, April 04, 2019
Peace to Live By: It's the Little Foxes that Spoil Our Minds (TMF:1099) - Daniel Litton
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       It is written in Song of Solomon, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom” (2:15, ESV). I’m sure most of us have heard that expression before, “It’s the little foxes that spoil the vineyard.” And it’s true that often the little things in life that are in disorder are what cause us the most grief. We should not hypothesize in our minds about various meanings behind our situations. And boy, this one is hard. When we are always trying to figure things out, to figure out a meaning behind something someone did, or behind an event that has occurred, we let the little foxes spoil our vineyard. I have found in life that when it comes to personal offenses, for instance, that most of the time when we perceive someone has done something against us to hurt us, usually it wasn’t intentional. Most of the time that we feel that someone has hurt us, they didn’t intend to hurt us. Unfortunately, though, we often spend a great deal of our thinking considering things about other people which aren’t even true. I’ve done this—we all do it—but we need to not do it.

Choosing to Focus on Today, Not Tomorrow (TMF:1098)

Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Peace to Live By: Choosing to Focus on Today, Not Tomorrow (TMF:1098) - Daniel Litton
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       A problem many of us face is that we think about tomorrow, or days after tomorrow, when we should be focused on today. Jesus taught us, ““"Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34, ESV). God only wants us to be focusing on what we need to do today. And we cannot enjoy today if we are thinking about things that are off in the future, even if it is things about tomorrow. The reality is, is that there is much to be enjoyed in our current day. There is much we can get out of the current moment. However, if we are not in the current moment, and thinking about tomorrow, we miss our enjoyment that God want us to have today. And it’s an endless cycle. If today we are thinking about tomorrow, then when tomorrow comes, we will be thinking about the next day. So, when will we ever then think about our current day? We never will with that type of setup in our minds. It is written in Song of Solomon, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom” (2:15, ESV).

Choosing to Focus On Our Present Surroundings (TMF:1097)

Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Peace to Live By: Choosing to Focus On Our Present Surroundings (TMF:1097) - Daniel Litton
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       Another thing to consider is that not only can we choose to think on good thoughts, but we can even choose to focus on our present surroundings. Again, for the person who has trouble with an undisciplined mind, that same person can find he or she has trouble with a wandering mind. A person who’s mind wanders is one who doesn’t choose to focus on the present when necessary or appropriate. Like, for instance, you may be having a conversation with a person, and you find yourself thinking about something else while the other person is talking. You are thinking about what you need to do later in the day, or something going on in the news—whatever it is—you are thinking about something else rather than what the person talking is saying. And we all struggle with this to an extent. But our goal needs to be to focus our thoughts on what the person is saying, and on caring about that individual. And there are many life situations where we can fail to focus on the present, on what is going on in the moment, to our disadvantage. A problem many of us face is that we think about tomorrow, or days after tomorrow, when we should be focused on today.

Discussing the 'Repeat' Button in Our Minds (TMF:1096)

Monday, April 01, 2019
Peace to Live By: Discussing the 'Repeat' Button in Our Minds (TMF:1096) - Daniel Litton
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       We should consider each thought that comes to us carefully, and give thought to what we are going to do. We should be cautious about what we think, and not think about sinful things. Some of us have taken negative past events and hit the ‘repeat’ button. That is, our minds repeat those thoughts periodically because we have allowed that particular thought to be on ‘repeat.’ But we have to let those thoughts pass right by us because they will constantly disturb us if we allow ourselves to think about them. The Apostle Paul said the following about this type of problem: “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you” (Philippians 3:13-15, ESV). All of us should have this type of mindset, a mind that is forgetting bad, negative past events, and one that is mature in focusing on the present—things God want us to accomplish in our lives for him.